Since the invention of the stereoscope by Sir Charles Wheatstone in 1838, people have been entertained by viewing two-dimensional media as three-dimensional. One strategy used to accomplish stereoscopy, known as stereopsis, involves creating two views of a single image, one view offset from the other, and providing each view separately to an observer's eyes. Systems or devices that use stereopsis to create photography or video for three-dimensional viewing involve image-splitting using mirrors or other reflectors and camera lenses to produce offset images that may be viewed through eye lenses that separate the images to each eye. Different configurations of mirrors and lenses have been used to split images with varying results.
Systems using one reflector, such as a mirror, one lens, and one two-dimensional camera involve placing a mirror nearly perpendicular, but slightly inward to, the field of view of a camera so that the camera captures mirrored images, one slightly offset from the other. In order to view the split images stereoscopically, one of the images must be reversed, which requires some form of post-processing. Prior art systems using two mirrors, one lens and one camera have involved using two mirrors hinged together at their edges and slightly angled with respect to each other and aiming the camera at the hinged edges. Similar systems have also involved unhinging the mirrors and separating them slightly. These types of two-mirror systems were used starting in the late nineteenth century, but are seldom used today. They are awkward to use because the camera is aimed at right angles to the subject and the images are reversed left to right. Other systems, using three or four reflectors, such as mirrors or prisms, have been used, but are more complicated to manufacture and maintain. A discussion of these systems may be found at http://www.lhup.edu/˜dsimanek/3d/3dgallery16.htm.
Several devices in the prior art are known to provide or use an integrated viewer with left and right eye lenses, or viewing lenses, to stereoscopically view images provided on film or transmitted from an outside source, such as the internet or some other network. U.S. Pat. No. 2,313,562, issued to P. Mainardi, et al., for “Stereoscope” discloses “a stereoscope in which the viewing lenses have approximately the same focal length as the lens or lenses with which the pictures were taken”, which uses a housing with a front window on one side and two oculars on the other side, a means for symmetrically holding a film with a split image, and reflectors for rotating the images for proper viewing. This device requires that split images are provided oppositiaxially, for example, head-to-head or foot-to-foot. United States Patent Application number US 2006/0055773, by Kutka, for “Device and Method for Stereoscopic Reproduction of Picture Information on a Screen” discloses a housing permanently attached to a screen, viewing lenses mounted to the housing separated by a distance approximating the distance between an observer's eyes, and optical means for allowing an observer to separately view left and right images for three-dimensional viewing. This device does not have a camera and does not generate the split image. The images must originate from a network or other outside source. United States Patent Application number US 2007/0222856, by Amaru, for “Portable Device for Viewing an Image and Associated Production Method” discloses a housing with a display and two viewer openings, an optical unit with a lens or reflector arrangement that magnifies or sharpens images, a memory for storing externally transmitted images, the possibility of viewing received images three-dimensionally, and a location detection means to facilitate receiving images relevant to a viewer's surroundings. This device does not produce and must receive images. United States Patent Application number US 2010/0277575, by Ismael, et al., for “Method and Apparatus for Providing a 3D Image via a Media Device” discloses a frame for holding a handheld media display device that is displaying a right input image and a left input image and an arrangement of prisms and lenses that present a three-dimensional image to a viewer. This device does not create images and requires that a split image is provided for three-dimensional viewing.
Another series of devices or systems in the prior art involve using reflectors for creating and manipulating filtered images, multiple fields of view, or split, offset images. U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,951, issued to Ihms, for “Apparatus for Stereoscopic Photography” discloses a setup using a conventional device, such as a 35 mm SLR camera, whereby reflectors and filters are attached to the camera lens to capture images that may later be viewed as three-dimensional. This device does not capture or create offset images as described earlier. U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,819, issued to Williams, for “Multi-Field Imaging Device” discloses a “multi-field imaging device . . . for directing light from a first optical field and a separated second optical field into a video camera used for security surveillance thereby reproducing a split-screen image with the video camera. The multi-field imaging device can be aligned whereby light from the second optical field is directed directly onto one side of an image plane. A pair of mirrors are adjusted so that light from the first optical field is reflected by the mirrors to the image plane in a juxtaposed relation with the light from the second optical field.” This device provides for multiple fields of view on a single screen, but is otherwise not relevant to stereoscopic viewing of images. U.S. Pat. No. 5,856,888, issued to Ross, et al., for “Split Beam Optical Character Reader” discloses an “optical system for an optical character reader in which a camera, such as a TV camera, reads an image field in a document, includes at least one pair of mirrors which shift half of the image both laterally and vertically to convert a relatively long image . . . into a rectangular image with a much lower aspect ratio.” This optical system reshapes the image field to allow for simplified and lower cost optical character recognition. While this device splits images, it does not do so for three-dimensional viewing. U.S. Pat. No. 6,603,876, issued to Matsuo, et al., for “Stereoscopic Picture Obtaining Device” discloses a device that obtains two pictures from different locations of viewpoint, rotates the pictures using dove prisms, combines the pictures, and condenses the pictures for stereoscopic viewing while preserving the aspect ratio of the original pictures. This device is relatively complicated and relatively expensive to produce and is not portable.
While the prior art reveals devices and systems for splitting and manipulating images for stereoscopic viewing, as well as portable devices for viewing three-dimensional images, a portable, handheld device or system for producing split, offset images or video for immediate stereoscopic viewing and enjoyment is unknown in the prior art. Accordingly, it would be desirable to develop and provide a self-contained device that uses a camera, a simplified reflector arrangement, and viewing lenses to produce and enjoy three-dimensional visual media. The inventions discussed in connection with the described embodiments address these and other deficiencies of the prior art.
The features and advantages of the present inventions will be explained in or apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment considered together with the accompanying drawings.